16 and Pregnant recap: The problem with the Bible Belt’s approach to teen pregnancy

Editor’s note: In a series of guest entries Stephanie Sylverne is recapping MTV’s reality show 16 and Pregnant.

Like many young moms, Cleondra is torn between staying with her family and moving in with her boyfriend. Nineteen-year-old Mario wants her to move in with him at his dad’s house but she resists, even though her mom’s house is loud and crowded. Then again Mario lives just across the street so moving in together isn’t the most urgent issue on her mind. Cleondra has her sights set on finishing school and going to college.

Cleondra is an honor roll student and went to Nationals with her high school dance squad. She expects to graduate a few months after the baby is born so long as she can keep up with her school work. As one of four siblings, it’s not easy for her to get any work done at home. Plus, her older sister has a two-year-old daughter who also lives with them. Despite all these distractions, Cleondra believes staying with her family is the best way to meet her educational goals (and she’s probably right- teen moms who stay with parents are more likely to graduate high school and avoid public aid.

Mario decided not to join the Army when he found out about the pregnancy. I still don’t understand why a young, soon-to-be father would give up going to school or joining the military to take a low-paying dead-end job. Maybe Dr. Drew will clear up some of my questions about young men on the upcoming Teen Dads MTV special.

This was one of the only episodes of 16 and Pregnant in which abortion was seriously discussed. Dixie, Cleondra’s mom, talks to her about how disappointed she was when she found out about the pregnancy. She says, “I gave you condoms; I gave you pamphlets about safe sex.” Cleondra says Mario had the money for an abortion but she needed parental consent or a judicial bypass before the procedure. Dixie says she supported Cleondra’s decision to terminate but (obviously) she decided to continue the pregnancy anyway. (Or she might live in one of the 99% of Mississippi counties without an abortion provider– the entire state has only two.)

Even though Dixie was open about sex and birth control and supported her daughter’s decision regarding whether to continue her pregnancy, Cleondra still became a young mother. I don’t think anyone can blame this on a loss of religious morals either, considering the Bible Belt has the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the country. Mississippi in particular, where Cleondra and Mario live, has some of the strictest sex education and abortion laws in the U.S. but also the highest teen pregnancy rate.

Despite the fact that Cleondra and Mario were together for two years, her friend asks her, “Do you ever wonder if people think you’re a ho?” and says, “I used to be like ‘Can you close your legs please?’” Cleondra says, “He blames himself for it but I’m like, ‘don’t’ because it’s not like I was kicking and screaming and saying ‘get off me’.” So let’s get this straight: a lack of practical sex ed, restrictive abortion laws, and slut-shaming young women in the name of religious morals adds up to the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country. (Though rates in the U.S. as a whole have reached historic lows.)

Aside from that, Cleondra’s episode documents the typical post-partum decline most of the couples on the series experience. Mario wants Cleondra and baby Kylee (who is adorable, by the way) to move in with him so that the baby can have her own room and both parents together. Plus, he strongly dislikes, and does not trust, Cleondra’s brothers and sister and says he doesn’t want them around the baby.

Mario seems sincere yet he comes home from work and says he’s too tired to go help Cleondra with Kylee. (Because walking across the street is a lot to ask?) When he’s confronted, he sticks to his line about the baby coming to his house, either permanently or overnight. I’m sure he would like that to happen but it starts to sound more like an excuse than a valid reason. He doesn’t realize that he has to prove himself before Cleondra will be comfortable living with him and relying on him.

After Cleondra comes home upset about an argument she had with Mario, Dixie decides it would be a good idea to sit down with Cleondra, Mario, and Mario’s mom and talk about the problems the couple is having. Mario again expresses his desire to take Kylee overnight and to my surprise his own mom shoots him down. She tells him that as a mother she understands why Cleondra would not want to send the baby away all night long. He agrees to spend a couple nights a week at Cleondra’s house helping her with Kylee.

In the end it is not clear what, if anything, is resolved between Cleondra and Mario, but at least both of them have supportive parents and their daughter’s best interests in mind. That’s a good place to start.

61 Responses

“So let’s get this straight: a lack of practical sex ed, restrictive abortion laws, and slut-shaming young women in the name of religious morals adds up to the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country.”

Yup! And not just restrictive abortion laws, but also lack of basic healthcare for women. Cleondra’s mother provided her with condoms and pamphlets, but what about a second form of contraception for her? There are several options that she could have used that wouldn’t have been dependent on Mario’s remembering or agreeing to use a condom.

There are several options that she could have used that wouldn’t have been dependent on Mario’s remembering or agreeing to use a condom.
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Yeah, like saying NO!

You lefties always live by the, “If they’re going to do it why not let ’em rule.” When society comes crashing down you only have yourselves to blame… even though you’ll find some reason to blame Republicans/conservatives/George Bush/Dick Cheney et cetera.

That’s a mighty big group of assumptions there, Omega. If you read my posts (ever) then you know that I advocate for comprehensive sex education. This includes not only the standard condoms, birth control, and STI chat, but also helps students evaluate their principles and morals and how sexual activity fits into that. Some young women are fooled by young men who declare their “love” for them. Some are pressured. Some do not think pre-marital sex is wrong, but don’t want to take the risk. Some think the risk is worth it. Some don’t know about the risk. All of these people have sex and not all of them are prepared to seriously make the decisions they’re faced with.

I specifically talked about this situation because this mom said “I gave you condoms and I gave you pamphlets.” I haven’t watched the show, but I would wonder if this mother had a serious discussion about the real repercussions of sexual activity with her daughter, or if she just handed off information? Even if the teen decided to have sex, did she think about what would happen if her boyfriend didn’t wear a condom? Or if it broke? Clearly not.

So we should do away with religion and tell our kids its ok to have sex as long as you are using protection, and our problems will be solved just like that? Her mom talked to her about safe sex and she got pregnant anayway. What does being in the bible belt have to do with anything? I bet it would be more of a geography issue. In the bible belt, AKA South,it is much warmer temperatures for longer periods. Girls and Boys in the South can where skimpy, summer outfits for longer periods, rather than showing no skin and being bundled up in the North. It is more of a temptation for the kids.

comments like this are what gives the south a bad name. There is no suggestion of doing away with religion as a solution to this BIG problem of teen pregnancy in the South. Being in the bible belt has a lot to do with it since we seem to have the highest teen pregnancy rates-and the problem is a lot deeper and more complicated than the weather. It is ignorance, economics, education and lack of access to factual information about reproduction, reproductive health care and to reliable and safe contraceptives for women.

Appears to me that there is no father in either home. Following in mom’s footsteps? You cannot blame the high pregnancy rate on it being the Bible belt. That has nothing to do with it. It has to do with women who have children without a husband and not teaching their children that it is wrong. Sorry, but we taught abstinence (my HUSBAND and I). Hence we didn’t have the issue of our son fathering a child while unmarried. If you teach your children right, in all likelihood, they won’t have sex before marriage. If you supply them condoms, etc, you are saying it is OK.

Mario lives with his father and there is a father figure in Cleondra’s home as well.

I’m simply repeating statistics. The teen pregnancy rate is highest in the Bible Belt where sex ed and birth control are more difficult to access and messages about religion and abstinence are strongest. If that approach worked, those states wouldn’t have highest rates. So something else is at play. And though Jeff had a creative suggestion I doubt shorts and tank tops have anything to do with it.

I would also like to point out that many people who do not teach abstinence also have sons who do not father children outside of marriage.

yes, it does have to do with the bible belt as it has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates-and the connection between religious fundamentalism (in general)that is more prevalent in these areas-to lower education levels,lower socio-economic status, less access to good healtcare and factual education reproductive health, etc etc, is well documented.

You are fooling yourself if you think your darling child didn’t have sex before marriage. Chances are he did and was lucky little miss cupcake didn’t become pregnant. Hopefully you taught him more than abstinance and more likely set expectations, taught about safe sex, explained the realities of life for all parents and how important it was to finish school so that he’d be financially and emotionally ready for a child.

Patti may not be wrong. My brother and sister and I ALL waited until we got married to have sex. Our parents taught us from the Bible and we listened. I am not saying that I don’t hve Christian friends who were taught the same and chose differently, but pregnancy is a consequence of sex regardless of whether or not you are married. You don’t want to be a teen mom (or dad), don’t have sex. It really is as easy as standing up for what you believe in. All parents can do is raise their children correctly. Eventually, it is up to the teenager to make good choices. And when they don’t, there are consequences that they have to deal with.

Knowing truth and practicing truth are not the same thing. These teens were given every opportunity to make wise choices but chose lust. Don’t blame the church for teenagers making bad decisions. This is a very slanted article based on some very selected statistics. The callous way you believe that this couple should compound one problem by making an even bigger mistake of having an abortion and killing this human being who became Kylee is unconcienable. Even if she had killed this precious child you would have sentenced this young lady to years of depression and other serious health issues to “fix” this problem. This is really scary to see into the mind of a pro-abortionist.

I agree. This is NOT a problem with people who believe God and try to follow His way. It is those who want to do what they want that are the cause of these problems. And let’s drop the lack of practical sex ed stuff. Our youth know EXACTLY what they are doing. Yes, pro-aborts are very scary.

I am pro-choice, not pro-abortion. I never stated that I believe Cleondra should have had an abortion or “blamed” the church either. I believe in all reproductive choice, which includes the choice to be in a consensual sexual relationship, access birth control, and make autonomous decisions about when to give birth. I also believe in support services for all mothers and children, like health care, basic necessities, affordable child care, and access to education.

Really hate to see this devolve into a pro/anti abortion stance. You are making your own opinion by saying the girl would most likely be depressed and need medical attention to correct the issues from abortion. While its not a great solution, these medical procedures are safe. IT does require lots of thought and soul searching to proceed with this option.

Whats really irritating is that you are one of those people who don’t want abortions but also don’t want anchor babies/or regular babies living off the public dollar. You can’t have it both ways.

Stephanie Sylverne is right. There are far too many living children in the world. Why don’t people have the good sense to kill, er, “abort” them all? Imagine how much we’d save on education, groceries and gasoline.

And what’s with all this God nonsense? Go to church, live right, keep your legs closed and you’ll be happy? What silliness. These teens need to be having unprotected sex, getting pregnant, and then kil…I mean aborting their children. Nobody can ever know true happiness until they’ve killed a child.

Wow. What a well-reasoned argument that does not at all sound like a knee-jerk reaction practically lifted from a anti-choice propaganda pamphlet. /sarcasm People who choose to have abortions have probably stressed, cried, and experienced much anxiety over the choice. No one takes the decision lightly, but if they decide to go through with it, they have most definitely not “killed a child.” To equate the two is appaling and a sad, tried argument that preys upon misconceptions. I’m sure it really chaps your a** to hear this, but if you don’t like abortions, don’t have one. This is America, we all have freedoms. You have the freedom to express that you don’t like abortions; women have the freedom to have them.

religion is not the answer to everyone (and in most cases is hypocritical anyway…at least these teens are doing it of their own free will, versus molestation from priests who manipulate young children into being a part of their perverted acts)

The truth is there needs to be more education, not just on sex, but disease, protection, etc, and not the usual, “it’s a sin” routine that not everyone believes anyway.

Your conclusions may or may not be right about Bible Belt policies and teen pregnancy, but your reasoning is suspect.

“Mississippi in particular, where Cleondra and Mario live, has some of the strictest sex education and abortion laws in the U.S. but also the highest teen pregnancy rate.”

While you conclude that the Bible Belt policies are ineffective (and they may well be ineffective), lining up the two sets of facts doesn’t prove it.

For example, smokers use way more nicotine patches than nonsmokers. Does it mean that nicotine patches are ineffective against smoking? Not necessarily. It could also mean that nicotine patches correlate with smokers more because smokers need patches more than nonsmokers.

Or another example: There are more fat people in a Curves franchise than outside. Does it mean that Curves is making people fat? Not at all. It could mean that fat people are more likely to need and seek what Curves offers.

So, “Mississippi in particular, where Cleondra and Mario live, has some of the strictest sex education and abortion laws in the U.S. but also the highest teen pregnancy rate” could mean the policies are ineffective. Or it could mean that the policies are most needed in Mississippi. A similar line of reasoning could lead someone to believe that Mississippi’s Bible Belt policies have been ineffective against teen pregnancy but very effective against earthquakes and icebergs.

In addition to teen pregnancy, Mississippi is near the bottom on poverty, educational attainment, geographic latitude, major sports franchises, Neiman Marcus stores, Eskimos, unicorns, Buddhists, vowel and consonant variety, and countless other things. Correlation isn’t causation, and social problems don’t lend themselves to direct measurement or single-variable conclusions. Convents are even more religious than Mississippi, yet have lower rates of teen pregancy.

Neiman Marcus and unicorns have no relation to pregnancy (unless you’re in to something I don’t know about) but sex ed, birth control, abortion, and social mores do. Though you are correct about poverty- poverty is a known factor that contributes to teenage pregnancy.
I didn’t write the book on this issue, but other people have. So if you want to debate the findings of countless peer-reviewed research studies, start with Kristin Luker’s “Dubious Conceptions: The Politics of Teenage Pregnancy”.

I just laughed at this entire post…esp your continuing a stereotype that all Christians are ignorant, archaic, naive people when it comes to sex and educating our girls about it. Esp when 35% of abortions are on ‘born again’ Christian women, according to a stat read by Dr Laura last month during her continuing crusade against PP. Evidently, they ain’t THAT ignorant.
My 8th grade daughter attends a parochial school here in Houston. For one week, the boys and girls (separately) attend a sex ed class. I was a little worried about it at first, but not because of what she might learn. I was worried about what SHE might say to the teacher. In the past, the teacher handling this class was, IMHO, a throwback to the 50s…nice girls DONT..God wont love you if you DO…blah blah blah. She is like my mom–tell them the basics, and any questions, answer with either “Just don’t do that.” or “Nice girls don’t do that, so you don’t need to know what that is.”
I swore that if I ever had a kid, esp a daughter, I would answer her questions, no matter what. And I have. She’s known where babies comes from since she was six, and has known what sex was since she was eight. We had the talk when she was 11, and we continue to talk even now. She hears a term, asks me what it is, I tell her. I haven’t had any ‘yuck’ factor EXCEPT for when she asked me what (the big O) was. (I can’t use the proper term, the chron won’t let me, doofuses.) I told her what it was, ending with telling her it was a ‘reward for a job well done’ LOL. I will admit that conversation made me feel ICKY!
As a result with our open relationship, she knows what a lot of things are that most of her fellow 14 year old girls don’t seem to know. And it just BLOWS her male classmates minds, as she’s always busting them left and right trying to put one over on her friends. One boy asked her, “Who told you was a BJ was?” She says, “My mom.” He says, “Your MOM TOLD you THAT?” She said, “Yeah. She answers all my questions.” He sat there a minute…then, “Does she know any thing about drugs?” She said, “Ask her yourself.” I’ve known that kid for four years..and he barely said hi to me up until they had that conversation. Now, I get a “Hi Ms Brown!” from him EVERY time I see him.
Anyway, my point is she knew a lot more than I figured the teacher would be comfortable with…and I was worried a bit that she would upset the teacher if she answered questions that the teacher wouldn’t or couldn’t. So I let the teacher know that I had been very forthcoming with my kid when it came to sex. She said not to worry as….
They had a sex therapist talk to the girls. Oh, to be a fly on the wall this week. The first day, my kid was telling me some of the conversations going on in that room and I had to pull the car over for a minute, I was laughing so hard. The doc pulled no punches, and didn’t miss a beat. I esp like it because she reinforced what I had told my kid about a few things..and since she had talked to her friends about what I had said, it let the girls know that I could be trusted, too.
Not bad for a Christian school. Man, I love being Lutheran.
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@ Jerry…Im a prayerfully pro-choice Christian woman who has worked as a volunteer for PP off and on over the past 20 years. I would take issue with you calling an abortion a ‘mistake’…unless you’ve had one. I would prefer adoption over abortion, but it is NOT our choice to make. My opinion is unless you have a uterus, you don’t make the choice. You can contribute an opinion…but you cannot make that choice for ANYONE.

Wow this was hands down the most entertaining comment that I have read! I too hope to have such an open relationship with my daughter, nobody will tell her the truth like her mom and dad. Its the ugly truth (or icky lol) that kind of corrals that curiosity and maybe they will think twice (and pick the “eh, maybe NOT” option) before putting themselves in risky situations.

I didn’t say the Bible Belt was to “blame”.
I said: “I don’t think anyone can blame this on a loss of religious morals either, considering the Bible Belt has the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the country.”
Meaning, if loss of religious morals was to blame for high rates of teen pregnancy (as so many commenters like to tell me) why would the Bible Belt have the highest rates in the country? Religion clearly does not solve the problem. That is entirely different from BLAMING religion itself. Though indirectly through passing of religious-based laws (like teaching abstinence rather than safe sex) it can have a negative effect.

Patti – My husband and I also taught abstinence and did not provide our daughter with any form of birth control. Her boyfriend came from a home with a mother and step-father (dad had passed away). Guess what? She still got pregnant at 16. Providing a good upbringing is very important but the fact is that kids still have a mind of their own and society plays a huge role in influencing them too.

I agree. Though parents have a huge influence on their children (of course), people dismiss the role of culture and society which I believe is a huge mistake. It is impossible to parent in a vacuum. Some wonderful people come from really awful parents and vice versa.

Few years ago on vacation met a couple of young Dutch school teachers touring the States. They can from a small town which had two main protestant religions. One was so conservative, they treated the Sabbath much as Orthodox Jews do.

We asked if they had a problem with teen pregnancy. They replied “of course”. And also, as is the often the case here, it was those who belonged to the extremely conservative religious group who were most likely to get pregnant.

Perhaps they believe that because of their closeness to God, he will keep them from getting pregnant. Or perhaps it is the result of the way extremely conservative/fundamentalist religious groups treat women. Or perhaps it has to do with the (deleted because extremely politically incorrect).

Same thing when I was in high school in the fifties. The most religious ones were most likely to get knocked up. Of course back then, that meant daddy’s shotgun came out followed by four years of marriage and then divorce. And children of divorce have big problems also.

It’s not about religion – it’s about culture and geography and the dumbing down of America that started more than two generations ago and kicked into high in the 1970’s. These pregnant teens are stupid. their parents were probably stupid too. Actions have consequences, but the dumbed down America thinks they are pretty mild – after all there is welfare, food stamps, adc, etc. Everyone makes mistakes – but teen pregnancy is 100% preventable. I wonder how many stupid teen’s have seen this show and thought “I can be a TV star – I just need to get pregnant” and then got pregnant. I’m sure there are some.

The motto for this generation isn’t “Just Do It” it’s “How Bad Can It Be” and sadly the whole country if finding out and paying for it.

Not to mention how backasswards our society is regarding sex, amd nudity. Our country seems to swing from one extreme to the other. Total puritanism when it comes to sex and nudity from the parents….total open and encouragement from the media.
WHAT?!!

“…it’s about culture and geography and the dumbing down of America that started more than two generations ago…”

A lot more than 2 generations ago, since my mother has shared stories of some of her schoolmates “going away to live with an aunt in the city” when she was a teenager – and apparently it happened in her mother’s, and her grandmothers’, day as well.

The biggest problem is shows like this which don’t glorify teen pregnancy, but make it more mainstream and acceptable, which takes away from the stigma and shame which would keep some of these girls out of this situation.

So, it’s better that we completely shame these girls into submission so they’re forced to leave their homes, have abortions, or give up their children for adoption? That solves the problem, how, exactly?

That has never worked. The Puritans wrung their hands about their high rates of out of wedlock pregnancy and they are notorious for their sexual stigma. Teen pregnancy rates in the 1950’s were sky high compared to now. There is less stigma today than ever before yet lower rates than ever before.

The leading causes of high teenage pregnancy rates in the south are low socio-economic status (poverty) and lower abortion rates due to social preference (not access). Around the world we see the same pattern, people in poverty tend to have kids sooner and more often. As the economic climate in the South continues to improve we will continue to see improvements in teenage pregnancy numbers. On the second cause, I would much rather see high teenage pregnancy rates than to see high abortion rates. I understand the impact that having a baby can have on a young woman’s life (both the positive and the negative) but I also understand the impact that an abortion has on the life of the baby. Abortion is not a good solution to pregnancy and to claim it as a cure is just simply cruel. There is absolutely nothing wrong with teaching your kids that sex is something that should be enjoyed within the bonds of matrimony only. Despite the view of the media, it is realistic and would solve so many of the world’s problems.

“So let’s get this straight: a lack of practical sex ed, restrictive abortion laws, and slut-shaming young women in the name of religious morals adds up to the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country.”

What’s missing, of course, is any since of the sacred. Sacred matrimony, sacred life, sacred parenting, sacred as in God-begotten and God-annointed. This country’s god is the almighty dollar and hedonism. No care or thought goes into what the sacred scriptures teach about life, family, parenting, sexuality, etc. The Bible has become a non-issue in our modern culture and the virtue and nourishments of married life are lampooned. The message is ‘we don’t need the Bible, we’ve got sex ed, abortion, no taboos or religious morals and life will be just great.’ Hogwash……

Ridiculous analogy all the way around! A lot of teenage girls have sex and never think of the consequences! All they are thinking about is having someone to love them. They have been doing this forever! You can provide real birth control and they will forget to take it or don’t want to take it or something else. Life goes on, even in the Bible Belt!

I don’t think this is all religion or not. A lot of factors go in to whether a girl ends up pregnant, including peer pressure, her own psychological and emotional state, socioeconomic factors, and all that fun stuff.

From the perspective of abstinence versus non, though, it wouldn’t surprise me if more abstinence-taught kids wound up as teen parents. Not all teenagers are going to have sex, but some will, whether anyone likes it or not. The ones who were simply told “don’t do it” have no idea how to protect themselves when the time comes.

I don’t think teaching kids about sex is telling them it’s OK. It’s giving them facts about a factual biological process, like any other. They should be made to understand the pros and cons of all their sexual decisions and all the risks. I suspect that Michele’s daughter, above, is going to wind up less sex-obsessed and will be more likely to act on it when she’s truly ready and can be safe about it. Some of her peers who didn’t hear this stuff will be operating mostly on rumor and myth and will be unpleasantly surprised when it doesn’t hold up.

I’m Christian, but I tend to be more “liberal” on issues like this than some. I think over time, I’ve come to start wondering why sex is so magical and supernatural in a way that nothing else we do is. I watch Degrassi (I admit it), and in one episode, a girl takes off her abstinence ring because she was raped and thinks she can’t wear it anymore. Another girl comes by and sees this and gets very snotty and judgmental about her sudden lack of a ring (not realizing she was raped), and she says something like, “Virginity is God’s most precious gift. And you just gave it away!” And all I could think was, surely life is the most important gift? When did sex get this status above all else? (Yeah, I know, a few thousand years ago. :-))

I learned most of the ins and outs of safe sex when I was younger, from one source or another, but I must confess that my current lack of kids is probably at least a little more by luck than design. Teenagers, bless ’em, can be stupid. And I can say that because I was one.

Generational poverty/welfare is alive in the South. The girls see their momma, auntie and granny, who all had kids and no father is anywhere in sight. They only want the man as a sperm donor and then tell him to hit the road because “no man is gonna tell me how to live MY life”.

Thanks to our liberal government, teen pregnancy is REWARDED in the form of free medical care, free food, free daycare, free Sec. 8 apt – as long as the girl doesn’t get married. The guy does her a favor because he has “fun in the sack” and she gets a monthly welfare check when the baby is born. His idea is to help as many girls get a welfare check as possible and he has no responsibility for any of these kids he fathered. These girls, who have figured out how to play the system, have several kids before they are 18 and society picks up the tab.

I see this happening every day in this pitiful little town. Wish these girls would realize that an education would break their cycle of poverty because their kids deserve a better life than they are giving them now.

What an absurd assertion. This article provides zero evidence what so ever that this girl was exposed to any religious morals of any kind. She may have been, I don’t watch the show. With good reason, I might add. Just reading the quotes tells me that education in general is lacking with this family. And, it probably isn’t a coincidence that Mississippi has the worse ranked public schools in the country.

There are a multitude of reasons for the increase in teenage pregnancy, not the least of which is a reality show that glamorizes it (get pregnant at 16, get on a reality show!)!!!

My point was that if religious morals were the answer to eliminating teenage pregnancy, as many claim, then the Bible Belt would not have the highest rates in the country. Religion is not a CAUSE of teenage pregnancy either- but laws made in the name of some peoples’ religious morals, like teaching abstinence instead of safe sex, do contribute to the problem. Many other factors so as well. But lack of religious morals is not one of them.

And rates are not rising. Rates are at a historic low. Again, despite the assertion by many that our culture is losing religion and morals.

[Religion is not a CAUSE of teenage pregnancy either- but laws made in the name of some peoples’ religious morals, like teaching abstinence instead of safe sex, do contribute to the problem.]

Stephanie, almost ALL laws are made in the name of someone’s religious morals. “Thall shall not murder” is a religious moral, so creating laws against murder (or gun laws, or attempted murder laws) contribute to the murder problem in this country? In fact, most of our laws are based on Judeo-Christian morals. What morals, other than religious, do you think laws should be based on and whose morals should those be? Your post begs the question.

If I’d watched that show at 16, even though I wasn’t sexually active, I’d BEG for a long term method of birth control. Heck I am 27 and counting the days until I get my IUD. Education doesn’t have anything to do with lack of common sense.

So let’s get this straight: a lack of practical sex ed, restrictive abortion laws, and slut-shaming young women in the name of religious morals adds up to the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country.
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Bra-VO Baby!

Well I am 69 and I grew up in a time when sex education did not exist. I can tell you for a fact that everyone in my school knew that screwing created babies. No one provided condoms and we had one person who became pregnant in school while I was there.
It is not the education, it is the morals of the parents and children that is the cause of unwed teenage mothers, which has reached nearly 80%.

Like the other Michele, I, too, have spoken honestly about sex and reproduction issues with my now-11th grade daughter when she requested information. Unfortunately, on the walk home from school one day in the 8th grade, my daughter and a neighbor/classmate (we’ll call her Annie) decided to discuss a term they heard at lunch – “BJ”. My daughter told Annie what it was and Annie ran home and told her mom “Big Annie” what my child had relayed. Lordy, Lordy, the gossip and rumors that were spread in my Katy neighborhood about my daughter and my family. I am an open, liberal mom from up North, and Big Annie is a bible-belt-born-and-raised, Ann Coulter-looking, Obama-hatin’ Texan. What a scene it was.

As it stands, our now-grade 11 daughters turned out so differently. Mine has always strived for the top grades in the class and entrance into a good college. I taught her about being careful with sex, birth control, etc. But above all, we let her know that big, great things await her in life – college, great career, nice house and, of course, meeting a man who will be her friend and partner in life. She should wait to meet this man later in life when she is more mature and settled in her career, thus leaving her more choices in life. I believe my child will delay pregnancy and marriage until later.

On the other hand, Little Annie has no real aspirations in life except to hopefully study fashion, maybe go to college and MOST importantly find someone to marry and start a family with as soon as school is over.

My observations about living in the South are that family comes first before anything else and so having a child early in life is not such a big deal, it’s going to happen anyway. It’s more the lifestyle and values of living in the South that may be causing the increase in Mississippi’s high numbers on early motherhood.

I don’t watch these shows but have read some of these recap articles. I’m probably missing something, but, if the man is 19 and the girl 16, isn’t that statutory rape? And considering she was probably 15 when they conceived, doesn’t that make it even worse in the eyes of the court? Like I stated, I don’t watch these shows, but, from what I have heard and read, many of the men are over 18 and the girls, as the title says, are only 16, why isn’t law enforcement stepping in and at least investigating these people if not out right arresting these men for having sex with underage girls??!!!

Well folks, I hate to break this to you, but no matter what approach you take your children are ultimately going to make the decision to do it or not to do it based on what they WANT to do. Its as simple as that.